If these bikes launch Jairam Ramesh is gonna go nuts increasing the price of diesel. And then we'll be back to where we were...

no dought todays diesel engines are much more refined but at the same time they are much more complicated to get that kinda refinement . Eg -the fiat MJD national engine used by so many cars in our country injects fuel multiple times at high pressure to get that kinda refinement would be interesting to see what kinda tech these guys think for two wheelers...

It doesnt even matter if there is differential pricing for diesel bikes.. even if they sell it at exactly the same price as petrol for bikes.. modern diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts.. and the kind of torque a diesel engine can manage is enough to put someone like Royal Enfield out of business if they dont follow suit..

No doubt diesel engines have become more refined over the years. But a major reason for the refinement that we see in cars can be attributed to improved vibration and NVH dampening in todays cars.... I see little scope for that in bikes...

You kidding right. I have a diesel i20, one of the most refined diesels in the country, a car uses a lot of dampening materials on the floor of the car and in the engine bay to cut out the NVH. To get an idea about the NVH, open the engine bonnet of any diesel car and crank the engine. If used on a bike there is no chance of covering the engine and reducing NVH.

+1. Exactly my thoughts and I dont think companies are gonna spend a fortune on improving the NVH. The diesel engines still just arent there yet.

No offense, but I don' think this can come especially from Hero, who couldn't even go from 223cc to 225cc on ZMA in 7 years. Bajaj, maybe, but this seems just an attempt of Hero group PR to stay in news.

R&D Dept? Is the Art dept called R&D in hero? Because all their updates are nothing but govinda shahrukh updates, with different colors!

lol, Why do you think the Jap giant called Honda will allow Hero to tinker with 'honda's' engine!

PS: The chennai firm is making the engine, Hero wants to test it and use it if possible. So it could be a buy out of the new 'r&d' facility as well!

OT: uh... Why would anyone go for a +2cc? Not worth the effort...

I recall that in the early eighties a Punjab based company called Sooraj was the first to come out with a diesel bike. I remember reading a review in an Australian magazine which went some thing like this; upto 40 kmph the bike was ok to ride, once you go above 40 kmph it vibrates so much that you have a hard time focusing you eyes and seeing things clearly. . I am searching for the magazine, if I find it will post the article...

I am sorry but I think the general consensus here is to compare Hero motors to the now (or soon to be) extinct Hero Honda is wrong.. Hero couldn't do all the stuff Bajaj did due to the 'Honda' Bit in their name.. the exact same thing which helped them make a LOT of money.. When its finally time to make good use of the money and reputation earned over the years..

I call a full faired fuel injected i4 400cc Diesel churning out 40Ps at 6.5k RPM with 65Nm of Torque at 3.5k RPM . That would be a lazy lazy bike but the purpose of he full fairing is only to mask the internals from curious and critical eyes... Alternately.. make it a high on chrome Cruiser and kill RE..

a little tractor in the making

hero group is looking quite separated from indian market right now due to its demerger with honda. and regarding those 400+cc bikes will be loved only if they perform really well.according to me NEANDER 1400 TURBO DIESEL MOTORCYCLE is best in this class. but i saw its video on youtube it feels like a two wheeled tractor "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMdUCKVckGE&feature=related"

How is that any different from an RE?

Royal Enfield's got a 100 year old heritage/history/nostalgia behind it as a global brand and 60 year old heritage/history/nostalgia behind it as a "Raja Gaddi" in India.

The cacophony of a agricultural diesel can't match the single cylinder petrol engine's thump.
A newbie 400 cc "Munjal" Motorcycle won't make the cut among its Cult members.

Probably the same reason why the agricultural Taurus Diesel never became successful.

there's going to be a lot of hat eating if Hero get this right.

waiting & watching.

The only reason RE didn't die all these years and continued selling bikes to its so called 'cult' was it was the one and only company which sold bikes in india > 250cc (Minus the RD350) The RD did not survive because they weren't willing to go in with the REesque low volumes. The moment RE ventured into lower capacity... (RE Fury) it was killed by competition. I sincerely believe that people in India have all the money in the world and if you make a good product and back it up with a service network as vast as that of Hero Honda.. it WILL SELL!! (Give me an example of a Hero Honda which has 'Failed Miserably'.)

How many service points did the Taurus/Sooraj have all over India?
When you see all this it is not very difficult to understand why Taurus and Sooraj Failed miserably.. and lets leave aside the service bit for a moment.. How easy was it to start on a cold morning.. as compared to.. say.. even an RE? Sooraj / Taurus weren't even good enough in performance to compete with a TVS XL 50. Those 2 bikes weren't even good bikes to begin with. No wonder the companies died and the customers were left with nothing to do but lick their wounds. Everyone wants the best product for their needs with the money they spend. And if Hero make it into a good bike.. it will surely sell. Thats all I want to say..

P.S.: I hope everyone knows How much I hated Hero Honda for not being innovative. I hope everyone knows what bike I own.